Hey, Soul Sister
by OoZolaoO
Summary: Companion fic to 'Tasting the Sky.' Cameron again falls victim to her recent bad-luck streak, and ironically, it's Thirteen that gives her a hand. Mainly Chameron with strong Camteen friendship.


**A/N: **Hi everyone! This (hopefully) lovely little piece is a companion to my recently finished fic "Tasting the Sky." You don't have to have read the first one to know what's going on (hence 'companion,' not 'sequel'), but of course you're more than welcome to -- I don't think any fanfic author can every have too many fans. (:

Anyways, if you missed out on "Tasting the Sky," basically Cameron got sick and ended up by herself for a day while Chase rushed through work in order to get home to her. Cameron was a little embarrassed as she discovered how reliant she was on having someone there for her when she wasn't feeling well, but nevertheless, she spent the day feverish and longing for human company. House figured something was going on with Chase and Cameron and interrogated the Aussie in front of his diagnostic team before letting him go, and Thirteen decided to check up on Cameron since Chase was too busy to get away from the hospital. The young doctor dropped by the Chameron apartment and ended up hanging out to provide some human contact. Tons of lovely Chameron fluff and hints of Camteen friendship.

**tldr; **This fic takes place roughly four or five days later. I plan to keep going, so keep your eyes peeled!

Title is drawn from Train's song of the same name, though the lyrics of the song don't apply as much here. House and its character belong to Fox.

[Also: check out .com/wildeforworld/ to help make a difference in the world. (:]

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**Hey, Soul Sister**

Dr. Allison Cameron couldn't believe it. Chase had left her alone for less than a day, and _this_ had happened.

It wasn't like she had been doing anything reckless or stupid…she had actually been trying to stay _out_ of trouble like this. Chase hadn't wanted to go to the medical conference in Charlotte, but he needed to the hours to keep his license.

"_Come with me," _he had almost begged her, his eyes soft as they lay in bed together.

"_I still have a lot of work to make up," _she had replied reluctantly, envisioning the stacks of paperwork that had accumulated during her three days out of the office.

"_I don't want to leave you alone again," _he had argued, quickly changing tactics_. "You were sick just last week."_

"_I'm _fine_, Chase." _Her tone had closed the matter._ "You need those hours. I'll be okay by myself for a few days."_

He had forgotten his cell phone charger in the living room when he had left this afternoon, meaning that Cameron would have to wait until he got to his hotel to talk to him. It was about a nine hour drive to Charlotte – leaving so late, Chase would arrive around two in the morning. Cameron had scolded him half-heartedly as he had dragged his feet, getting distracted from packing to come and talk to her in the kitchen. "_You're going to get there at an ungodly hour_," she had warned him.

"_I'd rather spend more time with you before I go_," he had informed her, swooping in to steal a tender kiss. Cameron had complied, though after about a minute of kissing, she gently pushed him away.

"_I need to get back to the hospital, and you need to pack_," she had ordered him firmly.

Chase had finally gotten away, reluctant to leave his just-recovered lover behind for four days. Cameron had put on a stony front, determined to make him go, for his sake. In reality, though, she didn't want to be left alone again. She had missed Chase too much when she was sick – the timing of his second departure was less than ideal.

She had gone back to work after he left, before _this_ happened. It was later in the evening, like seven or eight o'clock, and most of the hospital staff was leaving or had gone home. Cameron too was leaving, absently watching the darkening sky as she made her way down the path behind the hospital that lead to the doctors' parking lot.

Her mind was on Chase, not her feet, and it was pure bad luck that one of the gardeners had left a hose on the small set of stairs for a few extra hours this afternoon. Cameron was two steps into the nine when her balance faltered, and her absent-minded ankle slid on the still-spreading pool of water. And that's when it happened.

Cameron went down, and she went down fast. She had almost landed when her mind kicked in, and she shifted her weight, falling like she had been taught when she was younger. But her momentum was already against her, and her tactic of self-preservation only halfway worked. A sickly snap broke the air, though her mind barely registered it.

Her rushed and chaotic mind was thrown into clarity as pain lanced through her, making her grit her teeth. She managed a hissed "_dammit!"_ before clenching her jaw tighter, screwing her eyes closed.

Her medical instincts kicked in then, and she forced herself to open her eyes and take stock of her situation.

She was lying at the base of the stairs, slumped over her left ankle. That's where the pain was shooting from, and she saw that her ankle was at an angle that even a civilian could tell was unnatural.

Cameron shut her eyes again as her world tilted until she felt like she was falling. She could feel the rough sidewalk under her arms, smell the acrid tang of blood (hers, she guessed), hear her own labored breath and muffled whimpers.

_I need to get help – someone needs to help me get back to the hospital_, a solid line of thought materialized amid the whirling of her mind. Yes, help. That would be great.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and put it on speakerphone before hitting the letter "R" and the green send key. Chase would come, like he always did when she needed him.

"Hello?" a tinny voice came from the speaker of her cell phone.

"Chase--" Cameron all but gasped. "I fell – my ankle--"

"… Dr. Cameron? Hello?"

Reality slapped Cameron in the face and she closed her eyes against a wave of nausea. That was _not_ Chase's voice on her phone. Chase didn't even _have_ a working phone right now. Chase couldn't come for her. She was alone, "_Again_," she whispered to herself.

"Dr. Cameron? Is everything okay?" The voice was persistent, and its tone was quickly growing worried.

Cameron managed to glance over at the screen of her phone. _Calling: Remy Hadley_.

Cameron was one of those people who entered every contact by his or her full name, even for someone like Chase. But Remy came before Robert in the alphabet, and her attempt to reach her far-off lover had culminated in a plea for help falling into the hands of the young doctor she was already indebted to.

"_Dammit_," Cameron hissed softly again as tears pricked at her eyes.

"Dr. Cameron? Can you hear me?" Thirteen's voice beat at her retreating mind.

"I'm sorry, Thirteen, I thought I was calling Chase," Cameron whispered between her tightly-clenched teeth, the other doctor's common name slipping through her attempt at professionalism. Her eyes shut again, and she tried to swallow the bile rising in her throat. God, her ankle was _screaming_ at her.

"Is everything okay?" The voice on the other end repeated itself, sounding a little more relieved now that Cameron had made contact.

"Not exactly," Cameron managed a strained laugh. "I…well, I fell down the stairs near the doctor's lot. I think my ankle's broken."

"I'll be right there." The connection terminated before Cameron could bring herself to protest.

"This is good, Allison, this is good," she whispered to herself, clearing her throat. "You won't be stuck out here all night. This is good. Just hang in there."

She focused on opening her eyes and willing her medical training to surface. Cameron dragged her gaze to the awkward angle that was her ankle and carefully shifted her weight off of the joint. The pain made her gasp, and she bit her tongue to keep from yelling, but the stars in her vision subsided in a few moments. Her ankle was already swollen and beginning to bruise, but the blood she had smelled wasn't coming from there. A quick check revealed shallow scrapes along her left elbow and forearm where she had met the concrete, and a long and thin bruise beginning to blossom on the side of her arm was where she had hit the edge of the stair.

"Not too bad, overall. Chase would be proud of you," Cameron kept up the external dialogue, using the sound of her voice as a way to pace her breathing. "Just hang in there, Allison. Just hang in there."

"Cameron?" Thirteen announced herself in a rush of footsteps and a warm, cautious voice. Cameron opened her eyes to see the young doctor kneeling on her right, chocolate eyes bright with concern.

"Hi, Thirteen," Cameron tried a tiny smile, and the worry lines around Thirteen's eyes softened.

"That was some fall, I'm guessing," she commented, her gaze roving to Cameron's infirmed ankle.

"You're guessing right." Cameron took a deep breath to calm herself, and Thirteen glanced sharply over at her.

"Does it hurt anywhere else? Back, head, neck – anything?"

"No, I'm fine." Cameron shook her head. "I caught my arm on the concrete, but it's just surface." She offered her arm to Thirteen, who examined it carefully. Cameron couldn't help but notice that Thirteen's brown leather boots were getting wet as the water from the hose spilled over the edge of the stairs.

"They're okay," Thirteen said quickly as she followed Cameron's gaze to her boots. "Did you hit your head when you fell? Are you feeling dizzy?" The doctor persona that Cameron recognized from the other night had snapped cleanly into place, and again Cameron found it soothing.

"No, it's just my ankle." She swallowed back another wave of nausea, and Thirteen shifted her position.

"Let's get you inside to radiology. They can do an X-ray to confirm it's broken, then splint it. It looks like a clean break – do you mind if I touch it a little to make sure?"

"Go ahead." Cameron shut her eyes and steeled herself as Thirteen's cool fingers brushed the arch of her foot. Thirteen was trying to be gentle, but when her touch moved to Cameron's ankle, the blonde doctor clasped her jaw tightly to muffle the moan of pain. A despairing sound still escaped her, and she felt Thirteen's touch lighten.

"I'm so sorry – I know it hurts," the young doctor soothed, her words straight from her years of medical school. "I'm making sure there isn't any bone sticking out that could pierce the skin."

_I know!_ Cameron wanted to scream. _I'm a doctor too, if you remember, and I've had __way__ more experience with broken bones in the ER than you have babysitting House!_

But she knew it was just the pain talking, and she knew that Thirteen had retreated behind practice to stay objective. Every doctor relied on setting limitations on emotions, even sensitive Cameron. There was a time and a place for personal feelings.

"Looks good – radiology can tell us more, but I'm sure it's clean. Are you still with me?" Thirteen added, her voice low. "Dr. Cameron?"

"I'm still here," Cameron's voice escaped as a low, broken moan. "Can we just…get inside, please? Radiology should still be here."

"Definitely. Can you open your eyes for me?" Thirteen asked, and Cameron obeyed. Thirteen gazed closely at both of Cameron's eyes (checking to make sure her pupils were even), then leaned back.

"All right, Cameron, let's go." She gently draped Cameron's right arm over her shoulder and threaded her left arm behind Cameron's back, carefully supporting the blonde doctor. Cameron obediently leaned against Thirteen and got her right foot under her as her companion helped her up.

"Got it?" Thirteen breathed in her ear.

Cameron swallowed, then nodded. "Chase is going to kill me," she managed in a whisper as the two of them began their slow, painful journey up the hill. She couldn't see it, but she knew that Thirteen was smiling, and that made her feel just a little bit better.

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**A/N 2: **I read an interview by Olivia Wilde saying how she hates it when people/fans "pigeonhole Thirteen as the sexy, gay doctor," and it really made me think. Also made me re-plan where/how this fic is going to go. (:

Anyways, thanks for your time! :3 I appreciate it. And hit that adorable little review button hanging out down there!


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